This weekend I have the pleasure of travelling down to Cornwall on the train, a journey that takes around 3 and a half hours each way. And while I’m here I decided I would try out the new Vodafone USB 3G modem to ‘get on-line’ while i travel.
The device I am testing is the E220 model. The installation is very easy. All the data needed for the install is contained on device its self, so once attached by USB it can self install and begin to run. There is a nice interface allowing you connect/disconnect from the net as well as a clear traffic monitor so that you can keep inside your data limits.
The limits on my particular tariff is 3GB. You get this for ₤15 per month, but a smaller limit of 1GB is available for ₤10. If you are only using it for some light surfing then you may only need 1GB. Just don’t plan any video streaming!
The connection speed is excellent. I am currently passing through an area with ‘half’ Vodafone signal – my mobile phone indicates 2G signal, yet i am still able to have a fairly instant response to page requests with load time only being a second slower than id normally expect over a Wi-Fi connection.
A quick test shows that streaming from You Tube is still on the cards, although a little time is taken to buffer at the start, things flow smoothly there after. More suprisinly still, even in the deep south of Cornwall where mobile phone signal is scarce, I was still surfing at a respectable speed.
Storm rating 4/5 – a fantastically easy to use device which does what it says on the tin. Once the monthly tariff is reduced a little more I would recommend them to everyone. I still feel ₤15 is a little pricey for mobile internet, but I can see how people who have an hour or two of train commuting in the morning may find this good value for money.
